Love to Stop a War
by Calypso1211
Summary: Drew and Leo have to become boyfriend and girlfriend to stop the fighting between the Aphrodite and Hephaestus cabins. But is it really all just a hoax? Or are they just too scared to admit it? Rated T just in case...
1. Chapter 1

Drew smacked her lips one final time in her gold encased mirror and smiled at her reflection. Light pink, pink as light pink can get gloss lips, matching eye shadow, her long black hair in a fishtail down her back. Some new rage at camp. Tight, baby blue jeans and a matching throw-over shirt tied in the front over a white tank. She looked great, but she still needed to change when she came back from the meeting. Even though fishtails were in, it just… wasn't enough. There needed to be something bedazzled somewhere.

Drew looked around at her sleeping cabin. Everyone looked beautiful in their sleep, except Piper. Drew still refused to believe she had taken her spot, but she tried to focus her mind on other things, like fishtails and sudden meetings with Chiron, like the one she was about to have.

Chiron had come up to her after dinner the night before, telling her that there was an urgent meeting needed at the big house at 5:00 the next morning. She didn't know why it had to be so ungodly early, but apparently it was urgent. She just kept her hopes up that she might be appointed back to the cabin leader.

She walked slowly out the door, being careful to step over the almost invisible metal strip placed at the edge of their doorway from the Hephaestus cabin. They had recently been quarreling with them over something stupid which Drew had already forgotten, and now they just had to keep getting each other back. It was getting pretty serious now, and one of the Hephaestus kids had nearly gone blind after a perfume ambush. Ever since the Titan war, nothing had been the same. Silena and Beckendorf had kept everything calm while they were together, with the Aphrodite cabing just oohing and ahhing over them every second. But now they were both dead, and we couldn't stop them at anything now.

The sun was barely beginning to rise when she reached the big house. Her metallic pink heels were getting wet from the morning dew, and she inwardly groaned. She was quite fond of those heels.

Chiron was waiting for her right inside the doors. He beckoned for her to follow him. She did, and he led her into the room where most demigods came when Chiron welcomed them to camp. It was a strange place for a meeting, especially with Mr. D sitting there drinking coke in his usual Hawaiian print shirt.

"Hello, Mr. D," she said as politely as she could. He just snorted and went back to drinking his coke.

Drew waited there for almost half an hour, watching Mr. D drain four coke cans, when finally, Leo Valdez stumbled in, still with a sleepy look on his face. His hair was messed up, a huge mess of dark curls, and there were bags under his eyes. Motor oil and grime stained parts of him, and as Drew sniffed the air, it smelled like gasoline. She scooted as far away from Leo as she could as he sat down.

"Thank you, for coming here so early at such short notice," said Chiron, looking at the two of us. "Now that we are all here, we can start the meeting." Mr. D finally put his diet coke down and came to sit on a stool next to Chiron.

"Will you get on with it?" Mr. D asked, summoning another can, and taking a gulp. "I need to get my beauty sleep." He glared at Drew when she snorted.

"Yeah, can we get straight to the point?" asked Leo, yawning. His breath smelled like pizza. "I think we're all tired, except Drew. Well, her spell might be hiding it, but…"

"So, anyway," Chiron interrupted Leo from his becoming rant. "I know that there has been many fights between the both of your cabins, am I correct?" Drew and Leo nodded, and Mr. D burped. Drew rolled her eyes and snorted again in disgust.

"Will you tell her to stop snorting at me?" asked Mr. D.

"No." replied Chiron. "Moving on. Things were calm when Silena and Beckendorf were dating, right?" the two nodded again. "Well, I think it would be a great idea if we repeated that." Chiron looked me straight in the eye, and I knew exactly what he meant.

"Okay, we can hook up Piper and me, and that'll benefit us all. Except Jason of course, but we can tell him it's just for show…"

"Valdez," Drew interrupted. "How can you be so stupid? He wants us to fall in love."

"Wait, what?"

"Yes, Leo," said Chiron calmly in response to Leos outburst. "You two are going to pretend to fall in love with each other, so all the Aphrodite cabin will only be able to gossip, and the Hephaestus cabin will get bored, and maybe even talk about the strange relationship, too."

"Why can't it be Piper and Leo?" Drew asked in disgust. "Why me?"

"Because it would be kind of obvious if it were a leader of a cabin, so… just do it for me, please?" Chiron looked at us, almost pleading. "I just don't want anything worse to happen between the two cabins."

"I'll do it for the safety of everyone," said Leo, trying to be bold, and failing.

"I'll do it because I have to." Drew replied, disgusted. They were just going to break up in a week, like all the Aphrodite girls did. This was just going to be another one of those outrageous relationships that only lasted a few days, a week at the most. But Chiron seemed to read Drew's mind.

"We aren't twelve anymore, you guys," he said. "We need this to be a pretty long-lasting relationship, okay?" Leo and Drew nodded reluctantly. "Thank you guys so much, I don't know how I could ever thank you…"

"By not making us do this?" Drew asked, raising her eyebrows. She tried using charmspeak, but she knew Chiron was well immune to it.

"Drew, I'm sorry, but you have to do this…"

"Fine." Drew stood up hastily and strutted out the door. Why her, of all people? Why not Lacy, or Piper, or even Mitchell? Why her? She just marched through the still-wet grass until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Drew whipped her head around to see Leo, who was breathing heavily.

"I didn't know you could walk that fast," he said in between breaths. Drew rolled her eyes.

"Didn't know you were so out of shape, _Valdez_." She shot back at him. Leo's crooked smile dropped off his face, and inwardly she smiled.

"Drew, please," he said in his best pleading tone. "Just do it for everyone. Please?" I looked right into his dark, fiery eyes, and instead of seeing the fake mask, she saw real pleading. A small, very, very small part of her heart melted, and her mouth twitched.

"Fine." She said flatly. "I can play the beautiful, hot girlfriend, but can you play a role good enough for her boyfriend?"

"I think I can," he said, holding out his hand. "Can we start now?"

"Why not convince everyone now," she said sarcastically. She saw a little bit of hurt in his eyes as his hand slightly lowered, and she sighed and took his hand. "Fine. Lets start now." Her hand slipped effortlessly into his as he walked Drew down to her cabin.

Leo stopped when they hit the door of the pink cabin, and she turned around.

"There are people watching, hug me," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Leo raised his eyebrows, but hugged her awkwardly all the same. Drew felt some warmth from him, but as soon as he let go, she shoved it out of her brain.

"Thanks, Drew," he said, grinning at her.

"Should I tell my cabin?" Drew asked, and Leo nodded. "Alright, Fire boy. Go run along to yours now." Leo nodded and gave her his most charming smile, which Drew snorted at. She opened the door of her cabin and gracefully stepped in. Leo turned and walked to his cabin. What had he gotten himself into?


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys… I kind of forgot to put an authors note in the 1st chapter, so here's one now, I guess… So here are a few things about the story you should know…

I really like this couple, some people say no flames, but I really don't care what kind of reviews you leave; a review is a review. Kind of lame, but the story isn't that bad! Thank you to all the reviewers/alerters (is that even a word? Well Microsoft doesn't think so…) that I am too lazy to thank properly. Loved the reviews.

NOW READ, AND PRETEND YOU NEVER READ THE AWKWARD AUTHORS NOTE.

p.s. …... sorry!... but I don't own anything in this story except for the relationship, I guess, which I hope happens in the book. If there is going to be a next book.

NOW YOU CAN READ AND I WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE.

-Drew-

Drew took a deep breath sitting on her bed, and prepared a mask of excitement to show her half siblings. She wasn't the best actress in the world, but being a daughter of Aphrodite, she could easily pull off being excited over a boy. It was in her blood. Plus, there was charmspeaking to consider… nothing could really go wrong.

Slowly, the sun rose and the early bird daughters and sons of Aphrodite stirred awake. All except for Piper, who slept soundly. Still.

"Drew, why are you awake so early?" a girl named Elleon yawned. Her light blond hair was in at least 40 little braids to make it kinky in the morning without using a kinker. She didn't want to burn her hair.

"Oh, nothing," Drew replied, staring up at the ceiling and sighing like the people in sappy romances did when they were love struck. Elleon bit her lip to keep from smiling too wide. Drew could see her motioning for her twin sister, Alana, to come over, and she did. Elleon whispered something in her ear, and Alana gasped, giggling at Drew, who was still staring at the ceiling.

I'm really coating the sugar on now, she thought to herself as a few more girls came to join Elleon and Alana. Whispers hung in the cabin, and Drew finally snapped out of her 'love state' and grinned.

"Okay Drew," said Lacy, seeming kind of excited. "Who asked you out!" All the girls exchanged little excited gasps when Lacy said that. Drew just smiled dreamily.

"Well, I was surprised when he came up to me," she said, swinging from side to side. "I had liked him for a while, but we never really had the chance to talk. And when he walked up, I got so many butterflies." The girls squealed in delight. The entire cabin had come to sit around Drew's feet as if she were telling a bedtime story.

"What happened next?" asked a petite 12 year old girl names Mara.

"Well…" Drew said, trying to make up a story as she went. "He asked me if I wanted to go out with him. He just came right up to me and asked, not cowardly at all!" The cabin gasped happily, even though Drew thought it was the stupidest thing she had ever heard in her life.

"Who was it?" asked Alana eagerly, and the campers nodded.

"Was it Will?"

"Was it gorgeous Jason?"

"Was it Percy…"

"WHO WOULD WANT TO RUIN PERCABETH?" the cabin broke out with arguing about the special couples and who we weren't aloud to break. Lacy threatened to get the couples scrapbook down from the mantle so they could go over it again, but Drew quieted them down.

"It was Leo Valdez." The cabin was silent for a moment, then chatter broke up among everyone.

"Drew, you are so out of his league!"

"Oh my god, he actually uses his _hands_."

"His curls are kind of cute…"

"Guys, please," said Drew, putting her hands up. She had had to use charmspeak to settle them down, and when they were finally quiet, she stopped. "Just… congratulate me, please?" all the girls rushed to Drew, saying what a lucky girl she was.

-Leo—

"I asked out Drew," Leo said as he walked into the Hephaestus cabin that morning. Nobody heard him. They were asleep.

Leo sighed and flopped down on his bed. Relationships were hard for him. He had so many things that were going on right now, like making Piper like him, and the flying ship in the crayon drawing. Well, he knew Piper would never like him, so he ruled her off the list.

In his head, as he sat very wide awake, he made a list of things for Drew to change about herself while their relationship was going on. No red lipstick, because it made her look like a lying, cheating slut. No short Minnie skirts, because he 'didn't like it if she was trying to impress other boys but him', and because he liked plainer things. No heels, no parts deeply to the side, no short shirts… the list went on and on. He just wanted her to be… normal. Like someone from his own cabin. Wait, no, then he couldn't date her. No, she just needed to act more like a… Demeter kid? Or even an Athena kid, or someone from Apollo. She needed to… tone down a bit.

He sure hoped Chiron's plan would work.

A/N: So, did you like it? Please tell me! I can always improve, if you just review… please…

Also, you won't be hearing much from Leo in the story. I'm a girl, so obviously I like writing from Drew's POV better. If you guys really want me to, okay… I guess I could :P

Just please review, favorite, subscribe… whatever you do. Please. Maybe I could even tone down on the authors notes.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank all of you so much for reviewing and favoriting and… uh… putting the story under your 'story alerts', I guess. I really appreciate it! I will now probably be putting more little snippets of Leo's POV now, thanks to a few reviewers. Thanks all! Again…

_*~_~Drew~_~*_

Leo met Drew outside her cabin on the way to breakfast that morning. Drew was in a mini skirt and a short cropped top that hung off her shoulder, revealingly. Drew stopped in her cabins doorframe in surprise, which quickly developed into a glare. She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then hissed at him out of the corner of her mouth.

"What the heck are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes blazing. Leo just shrugged, unfazed by Drew.

"Well, since we're dating, I thought it would be nice to escort you to lunch," Leo replied, just raising his eyebrows at Drew. Drew let out a disgusted breath, her eyes wide.

"I hate Chiron." She said, and grabbed Leo's outstretched hand, noticing they were clean. Thank the gods, she thought to herself. He actually washed his hands today.

Leo and Drew walked hand in hand to the pavilion; Drew's lips pursed the entire way, the two of them silent. They were early, so they didn't have to worry about many people seeing them walking stiffly next to each other. Leo kept bumping into Drew's side, and she kept inching away from him until they were a foot and a half apart.

"Drew, why can't you just play along?" asked Leo, letting go of her hand. Drew's mouth opened wide, and a small sound escaped.

"Why can't _I_ play along?" she yelled back. "I don't want to be right next to you, Valdez! I don't want the smell of motor oil staying on my clothes for as long as I live! I don't want to snuggle up with you and be your cutesy little –all-about-love girlfriend, alright? I never asked for this to happen!"

"Neither did I!" Leo shot back. "You think I ever wanted to be your boyfriend in the first place? I hate your little obsession with hairspray and perfume, and that gross smell of nail polish that's always around you! I don't want to look at your revealing clothes, because you don't impress anyone! You think I asked to be your boyfriend? I didn't! I just wanted to stop the feud between our cabins! I don't want my friends to get hurt!" Drew's face had gone red, and she was giving Leo the death-glare she had perfected on Piper.

"Well, I hate you too, Valdez, so don't worry! Why couldn't Chiron just pick someone else? Why don't we just march right over to the Big House and tell Chiron…"

"Drew, stop it," Leo stepped forward, his face inches from hers. Drew's nose wrinkled up in disgust at his musk, but he grabbed her shoulder, and she couldn't draw away. "This… This bickering needs to stop. People need to think we are in love." Drew protested at the love part, but Leo cut her off. "Well, like each other, at least. Now, I know you can do the Aphrodite girlfriend thing, and I will play the doting boyfriend."

"What do you mean, _Aphrodite girlfriend_?" asked Drew, irritated. Leo backed up in alarm.

"Just… be my cutesy girlfriend, okay?" Drew snorted.

"Fine. Starting now." Drew grabbed Leo's hand and trudged off into the pavilion.

_*~_~Leo~_~*_

When they finally reached the pavilion, they were the latest gossip. Everyone began whispering as soon as they walked through the door. Leo and Drew paused at the entrance as everyone took them in, and then looked at each other.

"Here goes nothing," Leo said, and Drew sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, fire boy," was her reply.

"Ooh, we're doing nicknames now?" asked Leo, and Drew nonchalantly elbowed him in the ribs, and Leo snickered. "Okay, Princess," he said, which earned him another jab.

They walked hand in hand to the Aphrodite table, since Drew would never be caught sitting at the Hephaestus table. Ever.

When Leo sat down, all the Aphrodite girls stared, then started whispering and biting their lips to keep from laughing too hard. That stupid annoying giggle all the girls had was driving Leo crazy.

"Why are they laughing?" asked Leo out of the corner of his mouth. Drew just sat motionless and mumbled a reply.

"Well, its… awkward, I guess." Leo rolled his eyes and sighed. He waited anxiously for Chiron to let their table to lunch, trying to avoid the eyes of the other Aphrodite kids. But, after a few seconds, his worst nightmare came walking in. Piper. How was he going to tell her?

Piper was dressed in a plain camp halfblood t-shirt and white stretch pants, with her unevenly cut hair in a messy ponytail. Her bangs fell in front of her face, but Leo could still tell she was tired. She mulled over to her table and sat down, but instantly snapped awake at the sight of Leo at the table. She blinked, and stared at Leo with a confused expression.

"Why are you sitting at our table?" she asked, obviously shocked. Leo pretended to be offended, and Piper added quickly, "No offense, of course. If you had wanted to ask me something, you could have just waited for me to get here instead of… creepily sitting at my table. And," she added, looking Drew up and down, and scowling. "Why are you sitting next to _her_?" Drew snorted and glared at Piper.

"Well, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but you were asleep," said Leo, as calmly as he could. "But… Drew and I are dating now." Pipers jaw just about dropped to the floor on that little statement.

"Bu—Bu—" she stammered her eyes widening. "You—you two—hate each other…" She let the sentence drop and Drew smiled sweetly at her.

"Not anymore, darling," she said, so sickeningly sweet Leo almost gagged. "We're in lo~ve." Drew smiled at Leo and pulled him close, Leo smiling semi-awkwardly the whole way. Piper just stared, and sat staring at us until Chiron came and dismissed us to get breakfast. With her mouth still open, she slowly got up and walked to the breakfast table.

"Her?" asked Piper. "You could have had anyone, and you chose _her_." Leo had a feeling Piper was looking right through their act, but Leo just played it off best he could.

"After thinking about it and mulling it over in my brain, I decided I was missing out on not having her as a girlfriend. I guess I really was." Leo and Drew, the 'happy couple of the week' smiled at Piper and turned to get their food. Piper let out a small noise but got her food, too.

*Right after breakfast*

"Are you… proposing we skip lessons to talk about _clothes_?"

"Actually, I am."

"You sound like an Aphrodite kid."

"I hate to admit it, but I kind of do." Drew smirked at Leo, but led him into the cabin. No one was there, because it was lesson time, and Drew plopped down on her bed without offering Leo a place to sit.

"Should I just sit on the ground?" asked Leo. Drew shrugged, and he sat on the cot next to her.

"That's Lucille's bed," said Drew, raising her eyebrows at Leo in disgust. "If she finds out you've been sitting on her bed, she'll sleep somewhere else for weeks."

"Good for Lucille," Leo replied flatly. "Now, about the clothes…"

"What?"

"You have to… kind of get a new wardrobe, I guess." Leo tried to make it sound sincere, but it didn't really work. Drew's jaw dropped almost as far down as Piper's did.

"Wh—What?" she asked.

"It always seems like you're trying to impress a boy or something, with everything you wear," Leo said. "But, since you're dating me now, you don't have to, since I'm supposed to 'love you the way you are' and all that crap. So, first, that means no little skimpy tops like the one you're wearing." Drew looked down at her top and gasped.

"But I love this shirt!"

"Second, not as much makeup. Defiantly not as much makeup. Meaning, only a little eyeliner, neutral colors on your eyelids, and all that jazz." Drew gasped again.

"No, that is impossible. Never, never, no, no…"

"And third," said Leo. "We need to keep your hair simple too. What was that thing you were wearing this morning before you took it out and changed into… this whole outfit?"

"Fishtail."

"More fishtails and braids. They're cute, gives you that girl-next-door look."

"But that look is for the Demeter campers! I'm more of that 'hot popular girl at school' kind of girl."

"Well, maybe you can just be pretty instead of hot sometimes." The statement made Leo's cheeks flush a little, but Drew just glared at him.

"I really, really, REALLY hate getting fashion advice from a Hephaestus camper, especially a boy. What do you want me to do now, wear motor oil perfume?"

"Well, less perfume would be nice…"

"I'm not your PET, VALDEZ! I can wear whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want, and…"

"Shut up and do as I say or I'll kiss you." Drew backed up at the repulsive idea.

"You WHAT?"

"You heard me. Do as I say or I'll kiss you. It'll have to come later, but I can make it come faster."

"Okay, fine!" Drew said quickly, pretty much cutting Leo off. Leo snickered to himself as Drew's perfect face flushed pink. "Fine, I'll do it. But I am NOT buying new clothes, so you will just have to stick with the ones I have."

"As long as they're acceptable."

"Really? I have to meet your _clothes_ standards?"

"Yes." Leo smiled as Drew gave him her best death-glare. Leo almost laughed to himself. "Now, go pick some out and see if I approve of them." Leo bossed Drew.

"You're not my dad."

"I can still kiss you, if you changed your mind…"

"Gods, Leo! You are… ugh!" Drew ran out of the room, practically growling. Leo didn't know why he had told Drew everything about her clothes, and started talking like one of those stupid Aphrodite boys. He guessed the Aphrodite cabin just did that to you.


	4. Chapter 4

*_*_SonOfHephaestus_~Leo~_SonOfHephaestus_*_*

Drew and Leo walked with their arms hooked together to their last camp lesson, which happened to be Greek Mythology. Leo had completely re-arranged Drew's closet, in which Drew had incessantly complained about. Drew agreed to the wardrobe, and now she was looking like a whole new Drew.

She had a side fishtail in her light brown hair, a little lopsided and somewhat frizzy, but still pretty by Leo's standard. She wore a pale pink loose top with dark gray stretch pants underneath. She had lipstick the same color as her shirt, and some light brown eye shadow. She looked beautiful, in Leo's opinion. But he would never tell her that.

"I look so… plain," Drew mumbled as they passed the other campers with their stares. "Can I please just…"

"Nope, lets go." Drew sighed, but followed Leo. Leo almost smiled at the fact she was practically hiding in his arm. They were getting strange looks from the campers who were not at all accustomed to seeing Drew without every ounce of jewelry she owned on, but Leo gave them a stare and they looked away. "You're playing your part well." Leo commented as Drew pushed harder into his arm.

"Shut up, fire boy," she snapped. "This changes nothing, got it? I'm just… Just go along with it." Drew buried her face into Leo's sleeve. "I'm so embarrassed," she mumbled through Leo's sleeve, but Leo pulled her out by her fishtail.

"Come on, Princess," he said, trying to be playful. "I want to show you and your new self to the world. Isn't that what boyfriends are supposed to do?"

"Not when their girlfriends are miserable." Drew tucked her head back into his sleeve, and they walked in silence the rest of the way to Greek Mythology.

When they sat down, they found the teacher was none other than Annabeth Chase, who kept staring at them, mostly Leo, like he was crazy. He kept giving her quizzical looks, as if to say, 'What? There's nothing wrong with us'. But she just rolled her eyes and began the lesson.

*_*_DaughterOfAphrodite_~Drew~_DaughterOfAphrodite_*_*

Drew hid in Leo's shirt for the rest of the class, and all the way to the Aphrodite cabin. It didn't help that whenever she showed her face, everyone stared at her with strange looks. So she kept her face in Leo's shirt.

When they finally walked into the Aphrodite cabin, Leo had to practically peel Drew off of him.

"Drew," he coaxed. "You need to come out now. We're at the Aphrodite cabin now."

"I can't let my sisters see me like this," she said, holding the shirt to cover her face. "I feel horrible without foundation on! My clothes are so weird, and my hair is _frizzy_! I can't believe I ever went out like this." Drew felt so… exposed. She had never, ever since she'd come to camp looked this plain before. Frankly, she was freaking herself out. She knew she wasn't supposed to be 'showing off' to other boys, but now she knew they wouldn't like her at all. Not now.

"Drew, I think you are over reacting," Leo finally pulled Drew off his shirt and looked her up and down. Drew bit her lip as he inspected her, trying not to cover her entire body with something better than the crap she had on. "You look better like that." Drew rolled her eyes, but a grin reached her lips.

"Thanks, fire boy."

"Your welcome, princess. See you at dinner?"

"Duh."

"Alright, bye." Leo walked off to his cabin, and Drew almost smiled to herself. Did Leo really think she looked pretty how she was? Had he just told her she was pretty?

She could have slapped herself upside the head. What was she thinking? She did not, would not, will not EVER like a Hephaestus spawn. It was horrible even having to look at him or breath in his scent. Yes, it was.

She tried to convince herself that she hated him, and would never, under any circumstance, fall in love –for real—with that boy. Then, she cursed herself for being a daughter of Aphrodite. It was so easy for her to fall for boys. Ugh.

As soon as she walked into the cabin, a scowl on her face, her half sisters began whispering excitedly. She hesitated before moving to her bed, looking at each of her sisters faces. Some showed confusion, some showed laughter, and some just showed pity. Ugh, she hated being a child of Aphrodite. While gossip was good when it wasn't about you… When you live with the main gossip spreaders of the camp, it sucks when it's about you. Big time.

She walked over to her bed and plopped down, trying to pretend nothing was wrong. All she had was mascara on, no foundation, and such simple clothes. She didn't want to talk to any of them right now; her day had already been horrible. And lucky for her, none of her sisters wanted to talk either. They just whispered and gave her looks. All except one.

"Nice clothes, Drew," said Piper, making all the girls and boys stand up and get in separate lines to escort them to dinner. All the girls snickered at Drew, whose face turned red. "And… uh… you've got a new look, I see. It's… new." All the girls began to laugh at Drew, and Piper just smiled. "Hard being the one laughed at?" Drew's mouth opened in disgust, but before her siblings could see her cry, she stormed off into the bathroom, the only private place in their cabin. And only when the girls started laughing hysterically did she let the tears pour down her face. "Drew, are you okay?" Like Piper actually cared.

"Shut up and leave me alone, ugly," Drew shot back, her voice sounding smoother and more confident than she really was. She heard her half siblings rude laughs, and well as Dumpster Girl's annoying little snort. She thought she was so cool that she could be _different_ than all of them, not be snotty and wear masks all the time. She heard them walk out the door, and finally let her sniffling sounds through.

She was right all along. No one would ever appreciate her more if she wore different clothes; it just wasn't her. How did Piper pull it off, looking ugly all the time, with no one laughing at her? Wait, had she just pulled a _Dumpster Girl_?

Drew mentally kicked herself; hard. How could she ever even think of being like Piper at all? She would never stoop down to her level—Ever. Drew plopped down on the toilet, and the tears blurred her vision. The things in the bathroom started to look misshapen and Drew squeeze her eyes shut tight.

She didn't know how long she was there, but she guessed it was a mistake not coming to dinner. Leo came looking for her.

*_*_SonOfHephaestus_~Leo~_SonOfHephaestus_*_*

Leo walked into Drew's cabin that night, knowing by the looks on the Aphrodite girls' faces and when Drew didn't show up, that they had done something bad to Drew. Even Piper was kind of smirking, which was extremely odd for her.

"Hello?" Leo whispered softly, into what seemed like thin air. The cabin's lights were off, and it looked like no one was occupying it at the moment. But he knew Drew was in there. "Drew…" Leo walked along the beds, all in a perfect little line with nametags labeling whose bed was whose. He walked down the two rows of labeled beds until he found a pretty sign with the name 'Drew' written in cursive. He looked over her bed. It was the same pink and white as the other beds, same, same, same. But as he slid his hand under her pillow, hoping to find a diary, he found a poem book instead.

It was a kind of rough old notebook, no doubt she hadn't told anyone about it. It looked as if it was made to look old, and it had a carving of a girl holding a conch shell to her ear on the front. Below the girl was a tiny inscription, written in the finest cursive, so he could barely even make it out. _In my thoughts, in my heart_, it read. Leo opened it to the front page where it said 'Drew's Secret Poems' in sloppy handwriting. It looked as if she had written it when she was much younger. On the first page, was a very pretty poem, in Leo's opinion, called The Price of Perfection.

'_Fractured glass reflecting the figure I hide.__  
__Mind shutting down but eyes open wide.__  
__Thinking about the face in that reflection.__  
__Trying to obtain a certain perfection.__  
__White bathroom broken by beautiful pink.__  
__As blood and tears mix inside the sink.__  
__Lips sewn shut with invisible thread.__  
__Blocking out thoughts that enter my head.__  
__Pounding fists to counter as I try to relax.__  
__Tears streaking down, creating two tracks.__  
__Feeling so fearful, so ashamed and afraid.__  
__Hiding behind disguises and a false masquerade.__  
__Thoughts break loose, so does a scream.__  
__As heart and soul get torn down the seam.__  
__Falling to my knees, trying to breathe deep.__  
__Trying to keep quiet while people are asleep.__  
__Biting my lip hard, tasting blood on my lips.__  
__Caressing open wounds with rough fingertips.__  
__Slowly opening my eyes, taking in what I see.__  
__Wondering what the cost is to finally be__free__.__  
__Splashing water on my face to clear my head.__  
__Thinking of the thoughts that remain unsaid.__  
__Walking the dark paths that run through my mind.__  
__That one__special__place that no one else can find.__  
__Crawling into bed, pulling the covers up tight.__  
__Telling myself that everything is alright.__  
__But the truth is known, a secret not to be told.__  
__Now waiting for the next night to slowly unfold._'

Leo's mouth opened wide as he read through the next poem. He never knew Drew could write like this. His eyes passed over another one called Melody.

'Light seeps in from under the door.  
A melody plays, one she's heard before.  
Tears fall softly but who will care?  
As a lonely writer leaves her soul bare.  
Unseen and unheard, hidden from light.  
Remaining at the bottom while others gain height.  
Footsteps patter in the halls of her mind.  
Breaking down barriers the demons hide behind.  
Silence so loud you can hear her heart break.  
Setting dreams afloat in the oceans' wake.  
Breathing in deep but no air coming in.  
Fighting against others who think love's a sin.  
Visions unnoticed, fill up distant eyes.  
She grabs a blade and severs all ties.  
Heartache and pain and pleasure combine.  
As dreams and reality slowly intertwine.  
Shadows cloud the happiness she wants to feel.  
Scars run deep and none of them heal.  
Blood racing fast and pounding in her ears.  
It finds an escape as she cries crimson tears.  
The light slowly fades from under the door.  
But the melody plays just like before.'

He was about to turn the page, almost hungry for more, when he heard the door of the bathroom open. He shoved the book under Drew's pillow hastily and stood up just as she walked through in.

"Er…" he stuttered. It was dark inside the cabin, and he could barely make out her face. It looked as beautiful as usual, which was strange because she had most likely just been crying. "I saw you weren't at dinner and I came to check on you." A small smile tugged at her cheek, and when the small amount of light there was caught her face, he could see the wet streaks down her face. The Aphrodite blessing (or curse in Piper's opinion) must have concealed her red eyes and runny nose.

"Thanks, Leo," she said halfheartedly, and he knew something had gone terribly wrong. And, for an Aphrodite girl, a bad hair day was an example of something going terribly wrong.

"Drew, sit down, I know something's wrong." Leo said, plopping down on Drew's bed. Drew sat beside him, though a few inches apart. "Do you want to talk about it?" Drew nodded, and looked down at her hands.

"Piper and everyone were giving me a hard time about my clothes," she said softly. "Piper just said my look was _new_. And all the other girls laughed. I don't know what kind of things they must be saying now about me. Probably about how cowardly I am for not coming to dinner, or…"

"Drew, it's okay," Leo said as she began to cry in her hands. "Drew, just… forget about them. Be proud of yourself. You're like… the prettiest girl at camp, how could you _ever_ be embarrassed about how you look?" At this, Drew looked up.

"Do… do you really think I'm pretty?" she asked, a tear dripping down her nose. Leo was amazed at how she could still look perfect even when she was crying.

"Drew, of course I do," said Leo, who somewhat awkwardly wrapped an arm around Drew. "You don't need any of those clothes to look pretty. You have so much on the inside and the outside to look forward to, you…"

"No, I don't," she replied quietly. Leo looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"I said I don't, fire boy, what isn't there to understand?"

"I'm still confused." Drew sighed and shrugged Leo's arm off her. He could see she was trying to act strong, like what she was about to tell him wasn't important.

"There...There's nothing left," she repeated, as more tears came out of her eyes. "I have nothing left on the inside. I'm… I'm just trying to cover it up, you know?" he really didn't know, but he just nodded.

"Drew… You have everything on the inside. You're beautiful, smart, nice." Drew smiled up at Leo. "I don't know about the nice part, I guess, 'cause Piper used to complain…"

"Well, Piper isn't nice either," Drew snapped, then she softened. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

"It's okay," Leo replied. "At least your nice to me." Drew smiled again, and her face almost looked back to normal.

"You're the best fake-boyfriend I've ever had."

**So, what'd you guys think? Sorry if I changed POVs too many times, I was just trying to fit all the content into one chapter. Whoever reviewed and gave me this wonderful idea, thank you so much! I really liked it and (obviously) I used it. I hope you liked it! Please everyone review and tell me what you think! Thank you so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

*_*_DaughterOfAphrodite_~Piper~_DaughterOfAphrodite_*_*

Piper paced outside the Hephaestus cabin, waiting for a chat with Leo. She had given Lacy command of the cabin for today so she could bother Leo about Drew for the next 5 hours. Her opinion of Leo had shrunken since she found out he was dating _Drew_, the one and only girl she actually hated at this camp, and who she had thought Leo despised. She must have guessed wrong.

When Jake Mason, the head counselor, came walking out with his messed up hair and oil stained clothes, she stopped him.

"Uh…" he stuttered. "Are… are you here to see L—Leo?" Piper lifted her eyebrow.

"Who else would I be here to see?" she asked snootily, and marched right through the door. She knew she was being a bitch, almost stooping down to Drew's level, but not yet there. She needed to get what she wanted, now, or else she might explode. She hesitated before she walked in on Leo and his half-siblings. She really _was_ being a bitch, and she was acting just like Aphrodite. She was just trying to defy what she was born to be… She couldn't do this. Yes she could! No, she told herself. Don't do this. And she walked in.

"Leo, get up," she kicked his leg. He looked up from tying his shoe to look at Piper.

"Hey, Pipes, what…"

"Get up, I said," she spat back at him. She could see the hurt evident on his face, but she didn't show any compassion. "And don't call me Pipes." Leo stood up slowly and Piper practically dragged Leo out of the cabin and onto the beach, which no one occupied.

"Piper, what the heck is…"

"You know what's wrong," she snapped, glaring at him. "I know you and Drew were kissing last night in there." Leo looked dumbfounded.

"Piper, wha… I didn't… I never…"

"Shut up, _Valdez_," her voice dripping with charmspeak. Leo stopped instantly. "Listen to me. You hate Drew, very much, and I know that. Why are you suddenly dating her? I thought you hated her? I thought you were my friend!"

"It's fake, our relationship," he said, as if he was in a trance. "Chiron set us up to stop the fighting."

"WHAT?" Piper almost screamed, and broke the charmspeak. Leo looked alarmed for a second, them rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you tell Jason? Did you tell every single person _but_ me? How _could_ you, Leo Valdez?" Piper pointed a glare at Leo, who was still trying to get back to reality.

"Gods, Piper, what just happened?"

"You just told me you were having a fake affair with my enemy, that's all."

"Wait, how do you know it's fake?"

"VALDEZ! SHUT UP!" Piper was about ready to slap Leo across the face. How could he be so stupid? "Tell me, now, what you were doing in our cabin last night. Did you… do it with her? Is that why there were crinkles on the bed? Leo, you sicko! You don't even like her! She's a freaking prostitute! Oh my gods, Leo! I…"

"Piper!" Leo grabbed her hands, and looked down at her, trying to stop her ranting. "We did not, and we will never, do anything like that. Drew was upset with something, and I let her get it off her chest."

"Like what?"

"How you guys were being mean to her, and she went into the bathroom and cried. She said you were making fun of the clothes she had on, and…"

"I said they were new! And it's not my fault she deserves this for being such a bitch to everyone before I came along!"

"Now, it doesn't really seem like a change, because you're being _just_ like her!" Piper fell silent and looked up into Leos hazel eyes, full of hatred and concern. Had she really been acting like Drew this whole time? She thought back and… Yes, she had. Just like a typical Aphrodite girl would have. Tears welled up in her eyes. How could she have been so mean?

"Leo, I…" she whispered, the tears pouring down her face, but Leo was already embracing her. "I'm so s-sorry."

"Pipes, it's okay, I knew you didn't mean it," he said, patting her back. "You just went into a phase, and you were mad and—I know." Piper breathed unevenly on his shoulder before she pulled away.

"Thank you, Leo." Piper said. "Did… did you tell her I didn't mean it?"

"I just let her ventilate, Piper."

"But did you stick up for me?"

"Piper, I just…"

"Leo," she said, standing up to her full height, which was still shorter than Leo. "I really, truly thought you were a good friend, and that you would have stuck up for me when Drew was talking about me."

"Piper, really, I tried, but…"

"This is not a 'but' scenario!" Piper was once again angry. "We'll just… we'll just see how it goes tomorrow." And with that, she walked off, leaving Leo with a surprised look on is face and his arms out, wondering what he did wrong.

'Shit,' Piper thought to herself. 'I just pulled another Aphrodite.' But she tried not to pay attention to it as she stalked down to the pavilion.

*_*_DaughterOfAphrodite_~Drew~_DaughterOfAphrodite_*_*

While Piper and Leo were quarreling, Drew had caught the eye of a really cute boy named Liam from the Apollo cabin, who beckoned her to follow him. She waded out of the sea of people going to the pavilion and walked over to him. He had medium blonde hair and light, sea green eyes that seemed to sparkle every time he talked. His dimples were small and barely noticeable, but Drew had noticed before.

"Er… Hi, Drew," he said, awkwardly. Drew was feeling more confident about herself after what Leo had told her, so she had dressed simple again that day. A white and blue flowered dress that fell a little past her knees, made of cotton, and loose. Her dark hair was in a French braid, and all she had was mascara on, trying to at least outline her blue eyes. She had thought she actually looked pretty.

"Hey, Liam," she said, smiling up at him. He grinned at her. She had a few lessons with him throughout the day, and they had talked some, but she had never really gotten the chance to know him, which stunk.

"Well, I wanted to ask you something…" Liam looked up at the sky and took a deep breath before looking back down at Drew. "Will… will you go out with me?" Drew's heart fluttered, every time a boy asked her out it did that. But then it dropped.

"I would love to," Drew said, and Liam's face lit up. "But… I happened to be d-dating… Leo Valdez." Drew hated the way his wonderful face fell as she mentioned she was dating someone. "Liam, I…"

"No, Drew, I'm sorry," he mumbled running his hands through his hair. "I should have known that someone like me could never date someone like you. Really, I just… I didn't know." He turned to walk away, and Drew sighed. Why had she _ever_ agreed to date the ugly fire boy? She could have been happily dating Liam Turner, well, at least until she broke his heart.

"Liam, maybe we could date some other time…" but Liam was already on his way to the Apollo cabins line into the pavilion. Drew stifled a small sigh, and walked back down to the Aphrodite line. She just hoped this wouldn't last long.

**Hey guys! Kind of a shorter chapter than most of the other ones… I was just trying to update fast. I almost feel myself as if it was a little bit of a strange chapter, and maybe a little rushed on the last part, but I hope you like it as much as the last chapters! The next chapter I'm pretty sure will be longer and more detailed. OHMYGODS thank you all so much for the reviews! It made my day! Also… a huge thanks goes out to whoever did the wonderful drawing on … Oh my gods… that was amazing. Thank you so much for that, it is now my favorite piece of artwork EVER. I also like how you had the link there too, thanks! If anyone wants to see it, go to and search up 'brightblakcice' and look for the picture labled 'Love to Stop a War'! I LOVE it so much! Well, anyways… the next chapter should be coming soon! Probably by the Wednesday or so… maybe earlier! Please review and tell me what you think, and even give me ideas of what to put in future chapters! Reviews make my day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello… so, so, SOOOOO sorry that I didn't update for like… a million years! I got grounded from my laptop, and right now I'm camping with now wifi, and I'm just writing on Microsoft right now. I'm most likely going to update really soon because I am so bored and I have nothing to do :P. So, in here is basically a fluff chapter, but with really, REALLY limited fluff. Okay, maybe in the next chapter they'll kiss. Yeah, that's how limited the fluff is. So, for the next two chapters, I believe I have good ideas for them, but then for the next ones… I have no idea what I'm going to do. Thank you to FallingFarFromGrace for the good ideas, even though it said it was from myself (I love technology) and another author who I am not able to look up presently because I have no wifi. But thank you! Now, on with the story…**

*_*_DaughterOfAphrodite_~Drew~_DaughterOfAphrodite_*_*

Drew didn't meet Leo on her way to breakfast the morning after Liam had asked her out. It still kind of confused her that he hadn't known before that Leo and her were dating, but she guessed not everyone had to be informed of their relationship. She wanted Liam, so much more than she did Leo; but why had she turned him down?

'Becacuse Chiron said no cheating,' she told herself as she sat down at the Aphrodite table silently. But, so what? Who cared what Chiron thought anyway? One of Drew's friendly sisters, Elleon, started talking to her, and Drew absentmindedly replied. She was buried deep in her thoughts about Leo and Liam.

"Hey, Drew," said Leo, walking over to where she was sitting. He was wearing a dark green shirt, oil stained, of course, and some loose khaki shorts. Not exactly what Drew would call a proper outfit, but she was beyond caring right then.

"Hey Leo," she said, not even looking at him. He looked at her, concerned.

"Drew, are you…"

"Valdez, I don't need you to care right now, I kind of want to be alone." Drew hissed this out of the corner of her mouth so no one at her table could hear. She didn't even know if Leo had heard or not, but apparently he took the hint and sat back at his table, just as Chiron came to dismiss the Aphrodite table. Drew got up, not speaking, as her mind wondered to her and Leo's talk the night before. Gods, she felt so stupid for admitting all her flaws to him so quickly. Today, she scraped all her food into the fire, praying to Aphrodite to help her with her feelings. She barely even knew Leo, and yet she still felt… almost a little giddy when he was around. She needed that to stop, now, or else she might actually fall for him. And never, ever would that happen. Under any circumstance whatsoever.

As she walked back to her table, she bumped into Lacy, knocking her apple to the ground.

"Oh my gods, Lacy, I'm so sorry," she said, bending down and picking up the apple. "I… I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Lacy looked at Drew like she had just said she was in love with the titan lord Kronos.

"Drew…" she said, almost with concern. "What the heck…? Are you alright?" Drew was suddenly aware of her random 'niceness streak', and instantly blushed. What the heck had she been thinking?

"Stop… stop staring," she snapped at the Aphrodite kids who were staring at her, and stormed out of the pavilion. She flicked her black hair over her shoulder as she walked down to her cabin. What was that? She wasn't nice. She was the mean girl; she never would have helped Lacy with her dropped apple before she had dated Leo. Was he turning her into a nice girl?

She walked through the door of her cabin and plopped down on her bed. She pulled out her notebook, the only gift from her dad she had ever appreciated, and began to scribble down a poem.

_Never Again_ she titled it. She began to write a free verse poem, one of those 'hidden meaning' ones, her specialty, about how Fire boy was changing her.

_Never again,_ it began,_ will I ever look up to see him smile,_

_Stare at him the way I never have before._

_Look up into those dark eyes to see the fire brim_

_Or the crooked grin only he can give._

_Never again will I feel special around him,_

_For he has changed me so._

_The darkness has turned to light inside me_

_I will never be the same._

_Never again will I listen to his laugh_

_Or see his face light up._

_Even though it pleasures me so_

_Never again, out of fear._

Drew re-read the poem she had written, and without a second glance ripped it out of her notebook. She crumpled it up and threw it on the floor and laid her head down on her pillow. She hated herself for writing anything good about Leo in the first place. And it wasn't even a good poem.

Just then, she heard someone at the door. Gods, she thought. If this was Leo, she was going to kill him.

"Drew?" it was Chiron. Crap, crap, crap, she thought to herself, and jumped out of her bed and into the bathroom. "Drew, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine Chiron," she called back to him, laying down the magic. "Just finishing the final touches of the day."

"Okay…" Chiron called back wearily. It must have been the charmspeak making him agree to not come in, because even to herself she sounded un-sure of herself. "Well, classes will be starting soon, and Leo is coming down to escort you."

"Again?" she called. "I thought it was only going to be for the first day. I'm perfectly capable of bringing myself down to my classes."

"Just let him, okay?" Chiron called, and without waiting for an answer, trotted off. Drew sighed and walked out of the bathroom to wait by the door. She was _so_ done with the whole Leo thing. She just wanted to get the relationship before Aphrodite literally ruined her life.

*_*_SonOfHephaestus_~Leo~_SonOfHephaestus_*_*

"Hey Drew," Leo said when he walked up the Aphrodite cabin after breakfast. Drew was waiting in front of the cabin with a nasty glare on her face. Thank the gods it wasn't pointed at him, or else he must have done something terribly wrong. "Why weren't you at breakfast this morning?" Drew didn't even look at him when she replied.

"None of you business, _fire boy_," she said, nastiness dripping from her words. Leo just smirked.

"You better wipe that glare off your face or you'll ruin the pretty thing," Leo said, and touched the top of Drew's nose. Drew bit her lip to keep from smiling and blushed.

"Shut up," she said, swatting his hand away.

"Come on, cheer up," Leo said, and tazered her. Drew let out a yelp and swatted his hands away, smiling. Leo reached in and began tickling her.

"Stop, STOP!" Drew squealed with mercy, Leo and her laughing the whole time. Leo smiled as he took his hands away at Drew's attempt to catch her breath while laughing hysterically. Her dark hair was over her eyes and her mouth was spread into a wide smile that Leo had never seen before, and her blue eyes sparkled with laughter. Leo fought the urge to kiss her with all his might. Stupid hormones.

Drew looked up at Leo, still smiling, once she had regained her breath, and Leo looked away, embarrassed. Drew smiled even wider and took his hand, leading him down to their first class of the day, which was Ancient Greek. Percy and Annabeth were supposed to be hosting a special two-hour class, and the entire Aphrodite cabin had signed up so they could see them –together—teaching a class. Leo had decided to tag along with Drew because he didn't have anything better to do. Hopefully some other kids from the Hephaestus cabin were there too so he didn't feel so left out among the Aphrodite campers.

When they finally reached Ancient Greek, Leo saw that he wasn't at all alone. Practically the entire camp was there. Everyone must have been eager to see the couple teach, even though the Athena kids probably just wanted to learn. Ick.

"Dude, why is everyone here?" Leo asked Drew, and Drew shrugged.

"Percabeth, duh," she replied like he should have known the answer. Yeah, because everyone here is as love-excited as the Aphrodite kids. Leo just shrugged and followed Drew into the tent where they were hosting the class. It looked as if they had had to set it up quite recently to fit all the on-goers.

Drew led Leo over to the front row and forced up a small Apollo camper and her friend so they could sit down.

"Drew, we really shouldn't…"

"Shut up, fire boy, and sit down before someone takes our spot!" Leo sighed and sat down. Drew plopped down next to him, and half the camp filed in.

When everybody sat down, Percy walked up to the front of the tent, where he had kept a clear spot for him and Annabeth to teach, and began to yell over all the talking.

"Alright everyone!" he yelled. "We're going to start the Ancient Greek lesson today with a small skit prepared by a number of campers!" A few campers walked up, one from each cabin, and everyone clapped loudly. "Each of these campers represents their own immortal parent!" Drew laughed as each camper got a microphone taped to their cheeks, and Leo just smiled. This was going to be an interesting lesson of Ancient Greek.

Leo watched as Annabeth walked in and whispered something to Percy, then shoving a bundle of stapled papers into his hands. Leo could just make out Annabeth's mouth making 'seaweed brain' and then an eye roll before Percy began yelling at the top of his lungs.

"We need another, like… 20 volunteers!" yelled Percy, and a few kids' hands' shot up in the air. Not including Leo or Drew's. "Thank you!" Percy called again as a few campers walked up to the front of the tent. He handed them each a smaller bundle of what seemed like scripts, and then finally a camper stepped up.

"A long, llloooooonnnnggggg time ago, there was nothing in the world but chaos," the camper began, and everyone quieted. The camper, who seemed to be Travis Stoll from the Hermes cabin, began the long boring beginning of Ancient Greek. Percy and Annabeth apparently had felt the need to tell them all, once again, what happened 'llloooooonnnnggggg ago' and how the gods were created.

Leo could tell throughout the whole thing that Travis kept making jokes with the script because Percy kept giving him the eye, and it didn't sound like Annabeth wrote the script; it sounded like Percy wrote it, and Leo knew Annabeth would never let that happen.

When the narrator reached the part of the story when Aphrodite was created, Drew let out a small sound next to Leo and blushed furiously. Piper, playing Aphrodite, rose out of the sea foam where Kronos had fatally wounded Uranus, but the effects were really bad, and everyone let out an 'eew' sound and all the immature campers stared at Drew and her sisiters. Drew looked at the ground.

"Hey, at least your dad wasn't thrown off a mountainside because he was so ugly," Leo said, trying to comfort Drew. Drew laughed a little, and turned her head back up to look at Leo.

"Then I can't wait to see what happens when your dad is born," Drew smiled at Leo and he laughed. When they looked back at the skit, they were talking about how Rhea had hidden Zeus from Kronos. The skit showed Zeus and Echo, the nymph, and then it went on to say how the beauty of Echo had intrigued Zeus so much and they had 'played' together.

"Zeus is a player," whispered Drew to Leo. "He's almost as bad as my mother." Thunder rolled in the distance, but Leo laughed anyway.

"I can't wait to see what they do after the gods rein, and how Zeus had, like, a thousand children," whispered Leo back. "And then how he punishes Hera for being mad that he had sex with a ton of other women when she was his wife." Drew laughed.

"Ancient Greek is so messed up," Drew replied. "Zeus needs to decide who to be with some time or another." Drew and Leo laughed, thinking about all the messed up scenes in Ancient Greek until Annabeth gave them the evil eye and they were forced to stop.

Leo looked back at Drew, who was staring at the skit and trying to hold in her laughter until she turned to him, still with a faint smile on her face. They stared at each other, taking in every single detail, until they heard clapping at the end of the skit. They looked to the front to see all of the actors of the skit bowing, and they began to clap along.

As Leo looked back at Drew, he smiled to himself. It was strange how, given a little time, all the hatred in the world could go away. He found he could stand Drew now, and even enjoy being with her. But, it was all just an act. He had to remember that. What was happening?

**Okay, kind of a bad chapter… Please review and give me some ideas! Thank you :P I finally got wifi… LOL sorry there was no Liam drama in this chapter, but you can get your hopes up for the next one… that wasn't a spoiler for the next chapter at all! :P Hope you liked it, and please REVIEW! I need all the feedback I can get to make it the best story ever. **_**Clemi**_**, give me some tips, because you are an amazing writing :P. Anastasia Laurels 2.0, you are also amazing, but I know you give me feedback like… every single chapter, and I LOVE you for that :P Thanks all!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey… *smiles awkwardly* so, SO sorry for not updating in a while…:P. But here it is… Leo asks Drew out on a date! Well, sort of… read and find out… And, the thing you've all been waiting for has come! FINALLY! Fluff is slowly coming into play… obviously not real fluff, but whatever… I am officially in serious need of ideas, so PLEASE pm me of leave some ideas in a review. Thank you!**

*_*_DaughterOfAphrodite_~Drew~_DaughterOfAphrodite_*_*

It was lunch time when Leo walked up to Drew's table. He plopped down next to Drew, earning him a glare from Chiron and Mr. D, and turned to Drew.

"Leo, what…" Drew began, but Leo cut her off.

"Hey Drew, sorry to interrupt your lunch," Leo said, smiling at Drew. Drew sensed a mask coming on, and she almost snickered. "I was just wondering if you would like to go to the fireworks with me…?" Leo smiled at her, and Drew threw on her own mask.

"Oh my Gods, LEO!" Drew swung her arms around Leo, smiling like she was crazily in love. "I thought you were _never_ going to ask!" As Leo sat down next to Drew at her table, earning them another evil eye from Mr. D and Chiron, Drew practically sat on Leo's lap with her arms around his neck. For once, she was barely bothered by his musk. He must have worn deodorant that day.

Leo smiled at Drew. "So, did you want…"

"Of course I want to go with you!" Drew hugged Leo even tighter, making all her sisters gasp and start muttering about how cute the two were. Drew hid her smug smile when she saw how Piper was glaring at them with a hatred Drew had never seen before.

Leo lightly touched Drew's shoulder, motioning for her to get off of him, and Drew let go, with a huge—and incredibly fake—smile plastered on her face. Leo smiled his warm smile at Drew, and Drew made a fake giggle to show how 'excited' she was. She personally thought she was doing great. Acting like a love-addict Aphrodite girl. This was her life—and she knew exactly how to play it.

"Well," Leo said, semi-awkwardly detaching himself from Drew. "I'll see you tomorrow night then, okay?" Drew nodded vigorously and Leo walked away.

As soon as she sat back down, she looked at her sisters, who were all smiling.

"Drew, you and Leo are such a perfect couple, you know?" said Katrise, one of the newer girls to the cabin.

"Yeah, Drew."

"You two are so in love!"

"It's adorable!"

_Yeah_, Drew thought to herself. _If only it was actually real._

"You guy's aren't actually in love." Everyone stared at Piper, who had broken the cute moment. She was glaring at Drew with such hatred it completely ruined her pretty face. "You two haven't even kissed yet." All the girls gasped and began gossiping, Piper's frown turning into a smirk. Drew glared at her, her face mirroring Piper's glare. None of the other girls seemed to notice Drew and Piper's stare down.

When their table was dismissed, Drew walked right up to Leo, grabbing his curly hair and dragging him behind a pine tree so no one would see them. Normally, this was her spot for making out with other campers, but not today.

"Nice going," Drew muttered to Leo, who was holding his head in pain and looking completely astounded.

"What on earth did I do?" he asked.

"Really? Asking me out to the fireworks the day they're happening? Good thing I pulled all that improvisation out of my hat!" Drew practically yelled at him. "And, you haven't even kissed me yet! Your genius friend Piper decided to tell my entire table at lunch! It's totally rousing everyone's suspicions!" Leo glared at her, still holding his head.

"It's not my…"

"It is TOO your fault!" Drew cried. What the hell did he mean it wasn't his fault? "It's totally your fault! In a real relationship with a boy like you and a girl like me, you need to be the bigger man and kiss me first, and ask me out on a freaking date before the day the event is happening!" Drew was fuming. Leo snickered. "NOTHING IS FUNNY! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?"

"Just because, in a real relationship with a boy like me and a girl like you, the boy like me would have broken up with a girl like you the day he asked her out. Just saying." Leo's dark eyes flashed in the light at her, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing as she punched Leo in the arm.

"Shut up, Fire Boy," she said, and Leo grabbed her face and tilted it up to face him.

"I could kiss you right here, right now," he said, and Drew almost blushed. No, she thought. He was no different than any other boys she had dated. Well, he was obviously a virgin, but besides that, he wasn't any different than the other boys. "Just so everyone could see."

"No, it's fine," Drew replied. "It'll look like I just came crying to you after what Piper said, and that'll cause all kinds of rumors." Leo let go of Drew's face.

"When should I do it then?" he asked.

"During the fireworks," Drew replied. And before he could answer, she cut him off. "And that's what she said." Drew giggled and Leo blushed, hitting Drew in the arm.

"Shut up, Princess," he said.

**A few hours later... at the time when Drew was getting ready for the fireworks…**

Drew had all the cute outfits she owned that had passed under Leo's inspection laid out on her bed. She didn't know why she felt the need to dress up; it was only the fireworks, not anything really major, but she still felt like she needed to impress Leo. Lacy walked up behind her and put her hand on her shoulder. Drew jumped.

"Gods, Lacy, you scared the crap out of me," she said, turning to glare at Lacy. Lacy jus smiled.

"I think you should wear the light blue one with the cream stripes and trim," she said, pointing to a skirt Drew had completely overlooked. "And then you have to wear than cute loose shirt, the cream colored one, and those cute blue flowered sandals. The blue brings out your eyes." Drew didn't even have time to thank her before she walked over to her bed and completely pretended nothing had happened.

Drew decided to trust Lacy's judgment and wore the skirt and shirt, which looked really cute. She put on a thick rope belt and loaded on the mascara so her eyelashes looked a foot long. She settled on a clear lip gloss, and put her dark hair in a thick fishtail down the side, her curls uniting at the bottom to make it look like one curl. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she actually felt beautiful for once.

*_*_SonOfHephaestus_~Leo~_SonOfHephaestus_*_*

Leo had settled on a plain green T-shirt and some dark grey shorts, and a boatload of cologne from Damien, a boy in his cabin. He knew Drew hated his normal musk, so he tried to hide it. Wait, since when did he actually care what Drew thought? As he thought on it more, Leo realized he was kind of antsy. He was going to be kissing a girl tonight, which, very strangely, was going to be his first kiss. And it wasn't even going to be real. Or was it?

He pushed the thought out of his head. It wasn't going to be a big deal really, was it? He had no idea what the heck it would be like, but hopefully Drew would help him out and not completely embarrass him. But, it wasn't a big deal, so he shouldn't worry at all. This was a completely fake relationship, with fake kisses and fake hugs, and it didn't matter what Drew thought about him. Or did it?

Once again, Leo tried to push the thought out of his head, and focused on the outcome of their relationship. It actually did seem to be working. Leo had caught a few of his cabin mates chatting with an Aphrodite camper, and he had felt really good about it. Maybe Chiron's plan really _was_ working. Maybe Chiron would let him and Drew break up soon.

As soon as the thought hit him, his stomach almost sank. That would mean they would start right back where they were before; enemies. Drew would go back to being a bitch and a whore, and Leo would go back to being the lifeless builder. Great.

But, he also did feel something kind of special, just for Drew. It wasn't much, but whenever Drew accidentally touched his hand, not when she did it on purpose, he felt a bolt of electricity run through him, like Zeus was stabbing him with the Master Bolt. And whenever he stared into her blue eyes, the ones that had just recently gone from steel cold to blooming like flowers, he felt the same feeling. He didn't really know _what_ to call it. He _defiantly _wasn't in love with her. He liked her, sure, but he would never, EVER let her know that. Or anyone else.

"Leo!" Nyssa called, breaking off his thoughts. "We have to go! You're going to be late to get Drew!" Leo sighed as he ran out to meet Nyssa at the door. "Dude, you didn't even take the time to look nice?"

"Nyssa, this is as close to 'nice' as I get," Leo said, jabbing his half-sister in the ribs. Nyssa rolled her eyes.

"Look, all the boys are already at the Aphrodite cabin, picking up their girlfriends," Nyssa pushed him. "You'd better go get her before someone else gets her." Leo sighed and began walking down to the Aphrodite cabin.

There _was_ a lot of commotion outside the Aphrodite cabin. Tons of girls with makeup caked on their face and skimpy dresses were running around, and there was a whole lot of kissing going on. Leo almost turned up his nose in disgust, until he saw Drew.

She was leaning against the corner of her cabin, biting her nails and looking around nervously. She was dressed in an outfit that looked like the sky to Leo. Leo just gaped at her until she laid her gaze on him and smiled, running over to him. He had really never noticed how pretty she was without makeup. She actually did have a lot of natural beauty.

"Hey," she said, and slipped her hand into his. Leo was still dumbstruck, so he decided to cover it up with a joke.

"Whoa, no," he said, stopping her. She looked at him worriedly, and un-hooked her hand from his.

"Did you not want me to hold your hand?" she asked. "Was it wrong? I mean there are people around here, and we're in love, so we have to…"

"No, Drew, you have to take off those heels," said Leo simply. "You're taller than me with them on, and I feel like a shrimp." Drew burst out laughing.

"You are a shrimp, Valdez, get used to it," she said, and tugged at one of his curls. Leo snickered.

"I'm gonna have to take them off for you," he said, laughing. Drew laughed too, and grabbed her shoes and threw them into her cabin. She walked out of the cabin with no shoes at all.

"Now, give me yours," she said, reaching down to grab his tennis shoes.

"Whoa, no," he said again, back-stepping so she wouldn't take them off. She laughed.

"Fine, I'll just leave it to you to lead your bare-footed date to the fireworks then," said Drew. Everyone was already gone, so no pretending was needed, but Drew slipped her hand into Leo's once again, and Leo felt as if the firework show was erupting inside of him.

When they finally reached the fireworks, which were being held at the chariot race track, everyone was already settled in with their blankets and such. Leo let Drew over to a nice patch of grass that seemed to be practically reserved for them. They sat down, hands still linked together, and waited silently for the sun to go down.

When all the light had finally gone, the first firework was launched into the sky. Leo felt as if he should have been one of the ones helping, but they had excused him because of his work on the Argo 11, and because he had a girlfriend who he wanted to watch the fireworks with.

The first firework was a welcome to the firework show. They then began to shoot off random scenes from camp, as well as from the war with Gaea. The fireworks were brilliantly engineered, and he caught himself looking at Drew throughout part of it. Her face lit up with joy and the light of the fireworks filled him with happiness, something he never thought he'd truly possess again.

Just then, Drew turned to look at him, and Leo blushed and looked back up at the sky. Drew tilted his chin back towards her with a finger and smiled at him. Her eyes seemed to be flashing with all the different colors of the fireworks, and Leo smiled back at her.

"You know how we need to kiss?" Drew said. "Now would be a great time." Leo nodded as a thousand thoughts buzzed through his head. He had had no idea how to kiss. He didn't know what was going to happen when he kissed Drew. He didn't know if when he didn't kiss Drew right, if she was going to completely ruin his reputation. All the same, he slowly leaned in at the same pace as Drew. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought, and he pressed his lips against hers.

Nothing really happened except for the fact that their lips had met for a few seconds when Leo pulled away. Drew smiled at him.

"You do know that I just wasted my first kiss on you," said Leo, and Drew playfully glared at him.

"Just because I've kissed other boys doesn't make it a wasted kiss," she replied. "And, for your first time, that was pretty good." Leo smiled triumphantly. "But, let me show you how it's _really_ done." Drew placed her hand surprisingly gently on the back of his neck. "This is all for show, you know that, right?" Leo laughed and nodded. Drew smiled in return. "Now, put both of your hands on my back," Dew instructed, and Leo followed. "Now lean your forehead on mine." Leo did. "Now, kiss me." Leo really didn't care at this point how much Drew liked his kissing. So, he kissed her, locking lips with her perfect ones. He looked at Drew, whose eyes were closed, the lights of the fireworks still lighting up her eyelids. Leo closed his eyes, too, and he felt Drew's hand on his shoulder. Their lips—his chapped ones, hers soft from lip balm—seemed to fit together perfectly.

**Note to all of you who actually think that they are truly in love; you are so WRONG. Just letting you guys know, even though Drew is a great kisser and Leo enjoyed it a little, as well as Drew, they have only microscopic feelings for each other. Just throwing that out there. But, you'll have to read on in the later chapters to see if their feelings stay the same… hehe :P ANYWAYS… review, favorite, subscribe! I love people that do that :P. THANKS FOR READING!**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, hello… kind of a short time from my last update, but I was bored, so here it is! Kind of a filler chapter because I have no ideas! Please review, or I might just delete the story… I feel like a blackmailer :P. This is kind of an emotional chapter… ish… well, the last few paragraphs are, but… PLEASE don't kill me because this is sad… it will be explained in the next chapter. Well, sort of. I think. It is a sad chapter… But don't kill me. **

*****_*_SonOfHephaestus_~Leo~_SonOfHephaestus_*_*

Leo was still in a daze when he walked Drew back to her cabin, not really listening to what she was babbling on about. His thoughts only lingered on the kiss they had shared.

It obviously wasn't her first kiss, so she wasn't as dumbstruck as he was. He had never felt that before, and even if it was a fake kiss, it still felt amazing. He knew it was just because she was a daughter of Aphrodite that it had been so amazing, but he had still enjoyed it. And it seemed… different. He wasn't sure if all kisses were like that, but… he thought there was some sort of connection.

"Leo," Drew had hissed out of the corner of her mouth. Leo came back to his senses.

"Yeah?"

"Can you _see_?" Drew punched Leo in the arm lightly.

"Yeah…" Leo replied dumbly, looking at Drew. Drew punched him again.

"There are _people _here!" she said. When Leo still didn't catch on, she sighed. "Act like you're in love with me!" Leo mentally smacked himself. He was still dazed.

"Sorry…" he sputtered, and grabbed onto Drew's hand. They neared her cabin, and Lacy was outside talking to Elleon. As soon as they walked up, they practically squealed and ran up to the two. Leo was taken aback by the girls, but Drew held his hand firmly and put on her winning smile.

"Hey, hey, hey!" she said, and Elleon came up and hugged her. Lacy stayed behind, smiling awkwardly, probably still affected by Drew's rule over the cabin before Piper had come. "How was your guys' dates?"

"Great, but I just wanted to know how yours was…!" Elleon smiled even wider. Drew opened her mouth to answer, then looked over at Leo.

"It was good…" she said awkwardly, still looking at Leo. Leo put on a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, it was really great," he said. "But, I really should be going. I have to go… work…" Lacy and Elleon nodded understandingly, and Leo waved goodbye to the girls, and began to pull away when he noticed Drew was still holding his hand. He looked into her eyes, just inches below his, before Drew blushed furiously.

"S-s-sorry," she said, and dropped Leo's hand. He smiled lightly and walked off, leaving Drew still standing awkwardly with her sisters. Leo walked along the path, his head in the clouds, just thinking about stuff. For once that entire evening, his thoughts wondered from Drew. He thought about something that had not really hit him for awhile.

The war against Gaea. The 1st anniversary of it was coming up in a few months, and Leo had tried to block it out of his mind for a while. All he could remember was the sea of faces lost, the blood of the battle in splashes everywhere he could see. So many campers were lost, and Leo couldn't do anything about it. He had helped set up the traps, and of course, build the Argo 11, but nothing could ever make him feel better about himself. So many people had died… He almost felt like he had caused it all.

Before he knew it, he felt water envelop him, and he realized he had made his way out into the lake. At the lake's sudden drop off, he floated on his back and looked up at the stars. The smoke from the fireworks were making designs in the air still, the remnant shapes lighted by the moon only reminded Leo of war.

Unlike everyone thought, he had so much anger and sadness balled up inside him, he almost wanted to end it all sometimes. From times at camp when he wondered if anyone would care if the lava wall caught up with him, or if the arrow was pointed the other way during archery, or even if he just disappeared. He didn't even know for sure if Chiron would care, let alone his brothers and sisters. Sure, he had built a big ship, but he hadn't actually done anything heroic, like Percy.

And, even though it happened so long ago, he was still just a small kid who missed his mom. Under all his funny jokes and laughs, there was a lot of sadness. He didn't think any kid in the camp knew what it was like to have actually _killed_ their mom.

He sat up in the water, his clothes heavy. He was in the middle of the lake, and he could see the Nymphs staring at him. Thank the Gods the Harpies weren't out because of the fireworks, or he would have been eaten.

The water of the lake seemed to grab at his clothes, pulling him down into the depths, where he could be happy at last. He would never have to think about death again, and he could see his mom again… But, what about his brothers and sisters he was in a relationship with Drew for? He looked at the beach one more time; saw a blur of blue, before closing his eyes.

It was his choice.

He felt himself fall into the icy water, and it enveloped his head.

**Ehe… :/…. SORRY! More will come soon… Please review and I'll update faster… kind of a big cliffhanger, huh? SORRY… REVIEW! Maybe it's all part of my blackmail scheme…**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm back! Hope you guys like the chapter, it's an apology for the last cliffhanger ;). Unless you don't like it. Then, I… Well, you're out of luck. Sorry. Anyways, hope you like my chaper!**

*_*_DaughterOfAphrodite_~Drew~_DaughterOfAphrodite_*_*

Drew herself had been deep in her thoughts when she walked down to the lake that night after the fireworks. She had been so deep in her thoughts, in fact, that she had barely heard the small sound of water splashing in the middle of the lake.

The sound snapped her out of her thoughts, and she plopped down beside a pine tree and stared into the water. She figured it was probably some sort of duck or something, but a huge mop of curly black hair caught her eye and she stood up instantly. Leo was in the lake. _Swimming. _

She crept around the tree to see him simply laying in the water, not really doing much of anything. Even though far away, she could see his eyes clouded over from thought. She watched him for a moment, before coming out beside the tree. She was about to wave to him before he sank under the water, his curly hair disappearing afterwards.

Drew stared in front of her for a second, almost rolling her eyes. Had he really just hidden from her? But after a few seconds, she began to get worried. She slipped off her shoes and walked up to the waterline, dipping her toes into the cool water, and waited for Leo, adrenaline slowly dripping into her veins. After 10 or so seconds, Drew began to panic.

"Leo…?" she said, her voice shaking as she waded out into the water. "Leo?"This time, it was louder, more desperate. "Leo!" Drew pushed herself into the water until it came up to about her waist and began frantically searching the water with her eyes and her hands. "Leo!" She practically dove under the water, trying to find him, adrenaline fully pumping through her veins now. She came up more and more often, her mad gasps for air turning into coughing fits.

When she found herself where she could once again touch, her thrashing sending her there, a lone tear went down her face, and she sighed in defeat. Wading back to the shore, she let out a strangled gasp, and began sobbing. Not only had she practically witnessed death, but she had known him, and just kissed him awhile ago. Why would he do this? Everyone at the camp loved him. She was the one who should have been doing this. No one liked her. No one would care if she was gone. Everyone, once they found out the news, would be devastated the Leo had ended it. His act made her wonder how much pain he had had welled up inside of him to do such a thing.

She didn't even look up when she heard someone call her name. She was just sobbing like a baby until she felt a cold, wet hand touch hers. She lay down on the sand in defeat, the salty tears stinging her eyes, and she tried to even out her breaths.

"Drew, what's wrong?" asked the voice. Drew tried to breath in, but it seemed no air would come, and she felt almost suffocated. She couldn't bear to tell anyone what had just happened. It would only make it seem more real.

"L-l-l-Leo-o," she stuttered, new tears pricking her eyes with realization. "He-h-h-he's g-g-gone. Under-r the w-w-ater-r." The person beside her let out a small laugh, and Drew felt anger replace her sadness. How could someone be laughing at a time like this? She had just witnessed _death_, and they were _laughing_ at her? She let out a choked noise and rolled over so she was turned away from whoever was talking to her. Well, it was her fault for blubbering to someone she didn't know.

She heard a splashing of the water, soft, and she wished it was Leo. But she knew it wasn't. It had been at least 2 minutes now, and no one could survive two minutes underwater. Except Percy, but… that was different. She felt a hand on her waist and it pulled her up to face whoever was talking to her.

"I didn't think you'd miss me that much if I actually had," the boy whispered, and Drew quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes that were blurring her vision. In the dark, all she could make out was the silhouette of a boy, with wet curly hair plastered to his face.

"Leo?" she sat up, squinting her eyes to make out whoever was in front of her. She saw a crooked grin play across the boys mouth.

"The one and only." Drew practically threw herself onto him in a hug, Leo laughing the entire time, and Drew still crying.

"Oh. My. GODS! LEO!" She drew back, attempting a glare, but just looking happy to see him. "You were… You were underwater, and I… I looked for you! You… How can you hold your breath that long?" Leo just grinned.

"I saw you and I was about to swim up to shore. I'm a blacksmith, so I'm not that great of a swimmer, but I can hold my breath. Then, you came bounding out to the water, and I thought I would surprise you, then you went bounding out again, and I had to swim to shore. Then… You were like this!" Drew really just wanted to slap him, but she was way too happy to see him alive, so she just hugged him.

"I thought you were gone!"

"Once again, I didn't think you would care this much if I died or not." Leo looked at Drew as she pulled back from the second hug, and she glared at Leo. "We are just fake boyfriend and girlfriend, unless you've fallen for the charming I." Drew rolled her eyes, and put her hands on Leo's shoulder's, looking him up and down.

"It's just… This is the happiest I've ever been to see you." Leo put on another lopsided grin, and before he could spit another sarcastic remark at her, Drew pressed her lips to his gently. She pulled away not a second later, and Leo smirked.

"I thought we were fake…"

"There are probably people watching," Drew said with a smile, and she stood up. "Now, look what you've done. My clothes are all wet, my eyes are puffy, and my makeup's ruined. What to do?" she grinned and began to walk away, but she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Drew turned around to Leo, a few inches taller than her, lean down to kiss her. As he pressed his chapped lips to hers, she felt a rush she had never felt before. She slowly, hesitantly, returned the kiss, and Leo put his hand up against her cheek.

She was only hesitant, because, for the first time in her life, Drew was afraid of falling in love.

*_*_The_Next_Day_*_*

"Chiron, when would be a good time for us to break up? I just think… everyone's getting a little tired of the relationship, you know?" Drew stated nervously. Chiron looked at her skeptically from across the table before pacing the room.

"No one is getting tired of the relationship," Chiron replied. "You and I both know that. The kiss last night _really_ drew everyone in. There really has been less fighting." Drew sighed.

"Can we at least do something quick to get it over with?" Drew said. "If the fighting's stopped, why do we even need to be together still?" She was trying her best to hide her awkward feelings, but she knew Chiron knew. Thank the Gods he wasn't saying anything though.

"Well, Drew, there really isn't anything I can do for the relationship. Be innovative. Think of something romantic to do. Aren't you a professional in these kinds of situations?" Drew groaned.

"Can't you just set us up on something that will grab everyone's attention? I think we just need to get it moving quicker, you know?" Chiron sighed and stopped pacing.

"You mean, you want me to set you two up on a date?"

"Er… There really aren't many places we can go inside the camp. It's kind of… not a romantic place, if you know what I mean."

"Was I talking about inside of camp?" Chiron raised an eyebrow, and Drew's mouth opened a little.

"You mean…"

"Yes, Drew." Chiron looked at her, smiling. "You and Leo need to go on a date. Outside of camp."

**Hey, sorry for the shortness again… at least I didn't kill off the main character though! Hope you guys enjoyed it, and I will be updating soon, I think. Probably Sunday, or tomorrow if I have the chance. I just really want to write this date thing. **

**So… Drew is kinda sorta falling for Leo now… The great and mighty Drew is finally not being stubborn. YEAH! Please review, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS… Thanks to PiperMclean351 for being the 70****th**** review! Was just hoping to get to 100 reviews before the end of the story, but… Now there might be more. THANKS!**


	10. Chapter being updated tonight!

**Well… we awkwardly meet again… :/ I feel terrible for not updating in FOREVER, but I've been super busy… This isn't really a chapter, but just kind of an authors note telling you that there WILL be another chapter coming out tonight, at the latest. I'm also thinking of rewriting the first couple of chapters… I re-read them, and they don't sound so good. So, I guess you can just re-read the first couple of chapters and refresh yourself because HERE COMES PART ONE OF THE DATE! I hit 100 reviews, also… THANK YOU ALL! I'm super excited about that, and that is one of the reasons I decided to update ****.**


	11. Chapter 10

**So… Sorry I didn't update for a while, I've been SOOOO busy! And, WOW! 100 reviews?! You guys are AWESOME! Thank you so much! This chapter is kind of like an apology note… I like to think it's long because I'm sorry :P. I think another cliffhanger is coming on… ;) So… Just get ready for part One of many of the date!**

*_*_SonOfHephaestus_~Leo~_SonOfHephaestus_*_*

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _Leo grabbed at his alarm clock for the fifth time this morning, hitting the snooze button once again. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Why did they have to go so _early_?

The day before, Chiron had called Drew and himself to meet with him right before dinner. He had told them that they were going to go on a date outside of camp and the exact details. They were going to leave at 7:00 in the morning and have an all day date. He gave them a list of supplies they needed to bring, complete with hidden weapons to fend off monsters with. Because they were both expert fighters.

Then, he had given them a freaking _schedule_ of what to do the entire day. They were supposed to go to breakfast and dinner at some restaurant, and lunch at some random hot dog stand. Chiron said he had people he knew and trusted at each of these places, so they should be safe. They had to go see a movie, shopping at some clothing store, get ice cream, and shop around downtown, as well as visit a ton of popular places. Drew was given a camera to take as many pictures as she wanted, and Leo was given a credit card and $200 dollars in cash just in case.

At first, Leo had scoffed at the idea. Chiron was practically sending them to their deaths. There were obviously going to be monsters roaming around Long Island, just waiting to kill them. Leo had thought it was a horrible idea, but when he looked over at Chiron, he saw he had no choice.

Later, as he thought back on it, it actually would be nice to get out of camp for awhile and look around downtown. Plus, they could eat as much junk food as they wanted, because it wasn't supplied at camp. Leo was determined to have a good time, even if it was with Drew, who he had been secretly avoiding (and he figured she was too) her since he had kissed her when she thought he had died. It was completely uncalled for, and it probably just the heat of the moment. And he was _still_ astounded that she would actually care that much if he had died.

Leo swung his legs over the bed and rubbed his eyes again, trying to clear his vision. He was _defiantly_ not a morning person, and he made a mental note to himself to apologize to Drew before they left for their 'date', or else she would be yelling too by the end of the first hour.

Leo pulled out a clean blue shirt and some grey plaid shorts and basically threw them on. He ran his hands through his crazy hair, figured it was good enough, and walked out the door to meet Drew.

She was waiting for him outside her cabin, playing on what appeared to be her IPod. She was wearing a casual tank top and short shorts, with a scarf around her neck and sunglasses, her dark hair in a messy bun. Leo coughed and she looked up.

"Er… Hey, Leo," she said, putting her IPod in her pocket. Leo smiled back lightly. Thank goodness none of the other campers were up yet, or suspicions would arise.

They just stood there awkwardly for awhile until Leo spoke up. "So… should we go…"

"Oh, uh… Yeah…" Drew stepped to the side of Leo and began walking down to the stables. They had decided on landing on top of a warehouse. They didn't want to look out of place by being dropped off in a big white van in the middle of Long Island, so a Pegasus _definatly _seemed like the answer. Okay, Chiron. Okay.

They walked silently to the stables. Leo thought back to few romantic books he'd read, or, rather, the few books he'd read in general, to the scene where the two main characters were walking in a "comfortable silence". He had never exactly experienced a comfortable silence, and after the painful walk with Drew, he never thought he would.

"So," he said, trying to break the silence. Drew kept her eyes focused on the ground. "Which stupid horse thing are we riding today?"

"Leo!" she gasped and elbowed him in the ribs. Contrary to popular belief, an Aphrodite girl's elbow can hurt just as bad as anyone's. "They are not stupid!" Her brows were scrunched together, as if she was scolding Leo.

"Sorry if riding your little ponies isn't my cup of tea," he replied, and drew rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Respect the pegasi," she stated plainly, and stalked off in front of him. Leo groaned and went to chase after her.

When they finally arrived at the Pegasi stable, Leo realized someone had already tied up a few deadbeat looking pegasi for them. One, a majestic black one with a glossy black coat that matched Drew's hair color was labeled _Drew_. The next one, probably the Pegasus that no one really liked with scruffy, mousy brown fur was labeled _Leo_. Leo rolled his eyes but mounted the stocky animal all the same.

"Are you ready?" asked Drew. Leo nodded. "Ever ridden one of these before?" Leo shook his head. "Well, it's relatively easy; just hold on, and she'll take you where you want to go."

"Wait, this thing is a _she_?" asked Leo, exasperated. Below him, the Pegasus whinnied unhappily and Leo groaned. Drew closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Just… ride your pony, okay?" Drew kicked her horse and set off flying, leaving Leo coughing in the dust behind her. _Oh, joy_, he thought to himself as he kicked the scruffy Pegasus. _This is going to be a _long _ride._

*_*_DaughterOfAphrodite_~Drew~_DaughterOfAphrodite_*_*

Riding a Pegasus made Drew feel free sometimes. Like nothing is wrong in the world, like she was free from any pressure, free to do what she pleased, free like the wind. It's exhilarating, and it was like this amazing, amazing feeling, until a certain son of Hephaestus is flying in patterns across the sky and screaming her name.

"DREW!" he screamed from behind her. She opened her eyes and looked behind her, stifling a laugh. Leo was half-hanging off the side of his Pegasus, struggling to hold on as she kept shifting to the right under his weight, and then flying back up behind her horse. "HELP ME! I CAN'T FLY THIS—AHH!" Leo screamed his head off as his Pegasus dipped more to the right and began tipping over.

"Leo," she laughed, turning her Pegasus toward him and trying to help him back up. "You're doing fine, just—"

"N-n-no," he replied shakily, clamoring back onto it's back. "W-w-we sh-should land-d-d." Drew almost burst out laughing at his flustered expression, momentarily forgetting the tension between the two. She stretched out her hand from across the way space where their pegasi were hovering. Leo reached out a shaky hand and grabbed hers without hesitation.

"Hey," she said, trying to calm him down. "You're going to be alright, repair boy." A small grin lit up Leo's face. "We're just going to descend a little bit, maybe find a building or something to land on, and then we can get down, okay?" Leo nodded nervously, looking like a frightened little boy. The inside of her burst out laughing, but she tried to keep her face calm so he wouldn't get upset and jump off his horse.

She willed her and Leo's pegasi to fall slowly to the ground. Luckily, there seemed to be a sort of department building they could land on without being seen. Thankfully, the mist obscured everything, so it probably looked like they were birds. At least, she hoped so, and judging by the blatant looks on the mortals' faces as they landed, she was right.

The entire time, she hadn't let go of Leo's hand, and she had convinced herself she was only doing it for his safety. The color was still drained from his face, even though they had safely touched the ground already. She swung off her Pegasus and stood next to Leo, grinning at how odd he was acting as she helped him down.

Leo hopped down, practically landing on Drew's feet, and they both laughed awkwardly. Drew, looking up into Leo's dark brown eyes, noticed he still had an inch or two on her when she was wearing flats. She inhaled, taking the advantage of being close for once, and smelled the slight smell of machine oil she used to find intoxicating, and as she laid eyes on his angled chin, she noticed a spot of oil there, too. She grinned to herself, and pulled away, standing next to him and defiantly not as close.

"Well," she said, as Leo rubbed his eyes and the color flooded back to his face. "We do have a schedule we need to follow, so let's get to this." She pulled out the neatly folded schedule from her back pocket and look down at it. _**Eat breakfast at the Lake House**_ it read, and she flinched. She knew Chiron hadn't meant to, but she was still angry at him for picking this place. Of all placed, it had to be here.

Rumor had it, this was where her mother had met her father, and that she was conceived that same night. She wondered if they could somehow manage to avoid that particular place.

"Well," she stated, turning around to face Leo, who was close to her again after looking over her shoulder at the schedule. "I don't normally eat breakfast, you?" he shook his head.

"What do you say we skip it?" he said, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Why don't we just stop for a latte or something and continue on?" Drew nodded. She took out a pen from her back pocket and scratched off the first item.

"Well, here goes nothing," she said, and they walked to the side of the building. "How are we getting down from here?"

**Well… There is the end of chapter 10! The date still has more to come, which I imagine will be in the next two chapters… I hope you enjoyed it! I promise to update within a week, I think… unless something crazy comes up. Which I doubt. **** Hope you liked it!**


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